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13 year Cicada
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
we call them locusts...we call locust grasshoppers...These are actually named cicada.
from umich.edu...
Periodical cicadas are found in eastern North America and belong to the genus Magicicada. There are seven species -- four with 13-year life cycles (including one new species described in 2000), and three with 17-year cycles. The three 17-year species are generally northern in distribution, while the 13-year species are generally southern and midwestern. Magicicada are so well-synchronized developmentally that they are nearly absent as adults in the 12 or 16 years between emergences. When they do emerge after their long juvenile periods, they do so in huge numbers, forming much denser aggregations than those usually achieved by cicadas. Many people know periodical cicadas by the name "17-year locusts" or "13-year locusts", but they are not true locusts, which are a type of grasshopper.
Cicadas are harmless. They do not bite or sting defensively, nor do they attack people. If a cicada lands on you, it is only because it finds you to be a convenient place to land -- unless you happen to be using a lawnmower or weed-whacker, in which case it might be attracted by the sound! Basically, periodical cicadas can hurt you only if they mistake you for a tree branch and try to feed, something that can happen only if you hold a cicada in your hand for a very long time (eventually this makes the cicada hot and thirsty). Such rare mistakes feel like a brief pinprick and cause no damage. When handled, both males and females struggle to fly at first, and males make a loud defensive buzzing sound that may startle but is otherwise harmless. Periodical cicadas are not poisonous to animals or humans, nor are they known to transmit disease.
Sized in Adobe. |
mortcdz, pranab has marked this note useful
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Nice macro shot of a well camouflaged insect - unfortunately too well camouflaged, as the green of the tree masks the green of the insect. A little bit of selective desaturation could help this (I've demonstrated this in a workshop, I hope you don't mind)
Thanks for sharing
Mark
- pranab
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 734 W: 0 N: 537]](http://i1.treklens.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(3141) - [2006-08-04 2:10]
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randy,
great note.
nice macro shot. good color and detail. i've looked at the ws photo but it looks a bit artificial (sorry mark). this one has some natural color to it.
![Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 22 W: 16 N: 68]](http://i1.treklens.com/misc/s-s-g.gif){kind=small}
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer [C: 1265 W: 197 N: 17]](http://i1.treklens.com/misc/g-g-s.gif){kind=small}